Interactive program guides providing program segment information

Abstract

Interactive program guides and interactive program banners are enhanced through the use of individual program segment metadata that provides descriptive and timing information for individual segments of television programs. The program guides and program banners provide detailed information to the viewer about individual program segments, such as descriptions of individual segments, the time and duration of individual segments, and the location of individual segments within the program. Viewer preferences may be updated and future programs and segments may be searched with reference to characteristics of an individual program segment.

1 . A programmable device comprising a computer readable medium storing programming code for controlling the device to perform processing comprising: 
 storing program metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for television programs and segment metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for individual segments of television programs;    receiving a command to display a program guide; and    in response to the command, producing from the program metadata and segment metadata a program guide, the program guide comprising a grid of fields representing television programs arranged by time and channel, the program guide further comprising fields representing individual segments of programs that are present in the grid.    
   
   
       2 . The device claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the program guide further comprises an indicator that is navigable among said program and segment fields in response to navigation commands to indicate a particular program or segment.  
   
   
       3 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the location of the indicator on a field representing a program segment causes display in the guide of descriptive information concerning that program segment.  
   
   
       4 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said processing further comprises: 
 in response to a command, tuning to a channel of a segment indicated by the indicator.    
   
   
       5 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said processing further comprises: 
 in response to a command, scheduling a reminder for a segment indicated by the indicator.    
   
   
       6 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said processing further comprises: 
 in response to a command, scheduling the recording of a segment indicated by the indicator.    
   
   
       7 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said processing further comprises: 
 in response to a command, initiating recording of a segment indicated by the indicator.    
   
   
       8 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said processing further comprises: 
 in response to a command, updating viewer preferences stored by the device in accordance with segment characteristics represented in the segment metadata of a segment indicated by the indicator.    
   
   
       9 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said processing further comprises: 
 in response to a command, presenting a user interface that displays segment characteristics represented in the segment metadata of a segment indicated by the indicator;    receiving user selections with respect to the displayed segment characteristics; and    updating viewer preferences in accordance with the user selections.    
   
   
       10 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said processing further comprises: 
 in response to a command, identifying and displaying additional segments and programs having characteristics in common with characteristics represented in the segment metadata of a segment indicated by the indicator.    
   
   
       11 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said processing further comprises: 
 in response to a command, presenting a user interface that displays segment characteristics represented in the segment metadata of a segment indicated by the indicator;    receiving user selections with respect to the displayed segment characteristics; and    identifying and displaying additional segments and programs having characteristics in common with the selected segment characteristics.    
   
   
       12 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein said processing further comprises: 
 in response to a command, issuing a request for transmission to the device of a segment indicated by the indicator.    
   
   
       13 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the program guide further comprises interest level information indicating a level of viewer interest in a segment indicated by the indicator.  
   
   
       14 . The device claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the interest level information includes a color code representing the level of viewer interest.  
   
   
       15 . The device claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the interest level information includes at least one of a category and a keyword used in determining the interest level information.  
   
   
       16 . The device claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the program guide further comprises interest level information indicating respective levels of viewer interest in respective segments of a program.  
   
   
       17 . The device claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the interest level information includes a color code representing the level of viewer interest.  
   
   
       18 . The device claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the interest level information includes at least one of a category and a keyword used in determining the level of interest.  
   
   
       19 . The device claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the segment fields are located in the grid on the field of the program to which they correspond.  
   
   
       20 . The device claimed in  claim 19 , wherein the locations of borders of the segment fields within the program field are proportioned according to start times of the respective segments.  
   
   
       21 . The device claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the segment fields are located in the grid below the field of the program to which they correspond.  
   
   
       22 . The device claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the segment fields are located outside of the grid.  
   
   
       23 . The device claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the segment fields are located in a segment description display area of the guide.  
   
   
       24 . The device claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the segment fields are arranged in a column outside of the grid.  
   
   
       25 . The device claimed in  claim 24 , wherein the segment fields contain descriptive information and timing information for respective segments of a program.  
   
   
       26 . The device claimed in  claim 1 , wherein metadata used to produce the guide is selected from among the stored program metadata and segment metadata in accordance with user-specified filtering criteria.  
   
   
       27 . A method in a programmable device, comprising: 
 storing program metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for television programs and segment metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for individual segments of television programs;    receiving a command to display a program guide; and    in response to the command, producing from the program metadata and segment metadata a program guide, the program guide comprising a grid of fields representing television programs arranged by time and channel, the program guide further comprising fields representing individual segments of programs that are present in the grid.    
   
   
       28 . A method in a programmable device comprising: 
 storing program metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for television programs and segment metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for individual segments of television programs; receiving a command to display a program guide;    in response to the command, producing from the program metadata a program guide, the program guide comprising a grid of fields representing television programs arranged by time and channel; and    in response to a further command, displaying segment information from said segment metadata for a program in said grid.    
   
   
       29 . The device claimed in  claim 28 , wherein said grid comprises an indicator that is navigable by a user among said program fields, and 
 wherein said segment information is displayed for a program indicated by the indicator.    
   
   
       30 . The device claimed in  claim 29 , wherein said segment information comprises segment fields navigable by said indicator.  
   
   
       31 . The device claimed in  claim 30 , wherein said processing further comprises: 
 displaying additional segment information for a segment on which the indicator is located.    
   
   
       32 . A method in a programmable device comprising: 
 storing program metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for television programs and segment metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for individual segments of television programs;    receiving a command to display a program guide;    in response to the command, producing from the program metadata and segment metadata a program guide, the program guide comprising fields representing television programs arranged by channel, the program guide further comprising fields representing individual segments of a program in the list for which segment metadata is available.    
   
   
       33 . A method in a programmable device comprising: 
 storing program metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for television programs and segment metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for individual segments of television programs;    receiving a command to display a program guide;    in response to the command, producing from the program metadata and segment metadata a program guide, the program guide comprising fields representing television programs arranged by channel; and    in response to a further command, displaying segment information from said segment metadata for a program in the list.    
   
   
       34 . A method in a programmable device comprising: 
 storing program metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for television programs and segment metadata that includes timing and descriptive data for individual segments of television programs;    receiving a command to display a program guide; and    in response to the command, presenting a program guide that is produced from the program metadata and segment metadata, the program guide comprising: 
 fields representing television programs; and  
 a portion that is customized to display information from the metadata of segments of programs displayed in the guide in response to navigation commands.